Steve Wozniak

On October 3rd, I attended Elon University’s Fall Convocation.  Convocation itself was an amazing experience.  One-hundred-twenty-five alumni processed into the gym in the ‘Long Maroon Line,’ all wearing maroon robes and smiles that showed how proud they were to be back at their alma mater under the gazes of hundreds of current Elon faculty and staff.  The oldest of them was 103 years old, having graduated from Elon in 1932.  When President Lambert introduced him, he got a standing ovation from the crowd.  Seeing him there and the support that he, along with the rest of the alumni, got from the crowd made me feel so blessed to be a part of such a strong and long-lasting community here at Elon.

Right before Steve Wozniak spoke, we were told to take out our cell phones and hold them in the air.  Looking around at all of the iPhones that were being held up, I couldn’t help but think about how incredible it must be for Wozniak to look at the crowd and see how much of an impact he and Apple have made, even on such a small proportion of the population.  It was a powerful example, and a perfect segue into Wozniak’s speech.  When he began to speak, Wozniak commanded the room’s attention; just being in the presence of someone so smart and knowledgeable was almost mind-blowing.  His talk focused on his life and the trials and errors that it took to get Apple started.  From what he said, it is easy to see how Wozniak became so successful – he was a genius when it came to technology and was extremely passionate about it.  He would do anything to complete projects, and would not stop until he had the best possible product.  Even though he has done so many amazing things throughout his life so far, he was rather egotistical and it was obvious that he thinks highly of himself.  He wasn’t hesitant to say that he could outthink people and was the best in school

However, overall, I believe he conveyed some very important messages to Elon and its alumni.  He reminded us that it is important to build an element of fun into our work, or else we will not produce the best work possible and will not have fun while doing so.  Another point he stressed was the importance of believing in yourself and being comfortable with who you are.  Growing up, he had been an introvert and a bit of an outcast due to his “geekiness,” but he managed to find the good in this.  It forced him to “believe in [him]self and be very independent and trust [his] own thinking.”  This was an important skill to have and it built the foundation for his current success.  Overall, Fall Convocation was a good experience due to “The Woz” and his informative speech as well as the ‘Long Maroon Line’ of alumni present.